Earn extra cash as a mystery shopper

Getting a penny — or a $100 — for your thoughts

JeanettePavini

Award-winning broadcast journalist and author Jeanette Pavini writes the Buyer Beware column for MarketWatch and wants to hear your stories, questions, problems and complaints. Write to her at BuyerBewareMKTW@gmail.com.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — These days, you don’t have to be unemployed to be in need of extra cash. According to The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8 million Americans pick up extra jobs and seek outside work. Many of us are seeking more ways to either trim our expenses or increase our income. So how about getting paid for your opinions and ideas?

Companies spend millions of dollars to produce, market and launch a new product and they can’t afford to fail. So it’s well worth it for these companies to pay consumers who fit their target market to test their products. Focus and research groups have grown from what use to be housewives testing detergents to include engineers and medical professionals giving their opinions … and everyone in between. Opinions are needed and it can be much more than just a penny for your thoughts.

“There are different factors to consider when it comes to the pay.” Grace Lamer is a research director with Nichols Research Inc. in San Francisco. Depending on the topic (general consumer goods or occupation-specific), length (30 minutes vs. two days), location (at a facility, workplace or home) and schedule (day vs. evening or weekend) individuals can make between $30 to $300 for participating in these focus and research efforts. “Depending on the nature of the research and time involved on the researcher’s part, some may even be paid more than $300.”

“For me it’s a win-win,” said Bob Holloway, an engineer who has participated in focus and research groups since 1991. With his background, he was a valuable resource for information technology research. “I not only meet lots of people who work with systems I use too, but also get to listen and participate in up-and-coming products that may be of use to my company in the future. I also get compensated for my time. One year, he said, he earned an extra $3,800 which he gave to his church to help with the community.

“Companies continue to test their product and services regardless of the current economy.” Lamer said. “Companies are always in constant need of fresh views and feedback so they may see how their product/service affects today’s consumers.” Although she notes, they are testing with a tighter budget.

There are other ways people are cashing in on moonlighting jobs. Mystery Shoppers get paid to go shopping and rate the customer service. Others get paid to have a meal at a restaurant and give their opinions of the food, cleanliness and service. And then there are mock jurors used by trial consultants to help determine trial strategies. This work can involve up to several days’ work and several hundred dollars.

I find this way of earning extra cash interesting and pretty stress-free, in fact fun. A few years ago I decided to sit in on a topic that interested me: a day of taste-testing milk shakes and chocolate — two items I enjoy. I actually thought this is my kind of job, but since I was there researching the researchers, I had to watch. There were a variety of men and women who were taking their work very seriously. A lot of time and money was going into their every thought. They would take a taste, write some notes, give their opinions, discuss as a group what they liked and disliked, and after about 90 minutes they left with cash in hand and a very satisfied sweet tooth.

Keep in mind you are not employed by the research company. And some companies and projects have very strict past-participation rules and may limit you to a certain amount of work within a certain time frame.

Always check out the companies you are going to work for with the Better Business Bureau. You should never pay a fee. Jane Rosen, CEO of Nichols Research, said, “no legitimate market research company will ever ask a potential respondent to pay to be considered for inclusion in a paid research project, nor will a legitimate research company ever try to sell any type of product/service or ask for a donation.”

So how do you find the legitimate research companies? The Federal Trade Commission has a link to learn more about the mystery shopping industry and potential scams.

Rosen says there are websites that connect respondents to marketing research companies and focus group facilities. “Most research companies list some of their projects on Craigslist in their local areas and it is always possible to Google Focus Groups and Marketing Research for the area where you are located.” Many companies allow you to register online or you can join companies like Nichols Research on Facebook to see what research is coming up.

Most researchers say it’s not just getting paid for their opinion, but it’s also rewarding to be a part of a positive result. “Close to 15 years ago, a facilitator made a presentation that lead me to partake in further research groups at the company who was sponsoring the study,” Holloway said. This eventually lead to developing a product that my company purchased, almost two years from the time I initially sat in a Nichols Research room to listen to a person pitch a new idea in email virus/spam scanning. I’m happy that I was able to provide input that enabled the company to produce a product that is a useful part of our infrastructure to this day!”

This type of work certainly won’t make you rich or send your kids to college, but it’s decent, quick cash to help cover the cable bill or buy a few groceries. Plus, it gets people out there meeting others, having an input on products which once brought to market may actually create more jobs. And in a world where it seems voices are rarely heard, it’s nice to have our opinions so valued.

Jeanette Pavini is a regular contributor to various publications and Better.TV. She also hosts the weekly TV series, “The Real Deal” on NBC Bay Area and is the national spokesperson for Coupons.com. Write to her at BuyerBewareMKTW@gmail.com.

Mortgage Rates

Powered by

This advertisement is provided by Bankrate, which compiles rate data from more than 4,800 financial institutions. Bankrate is paid by financial institutions whenever users click on display advertisements or on rate table listings enhanced with features like logos, navigation links, and toll free numbers. Dow Jones receives a share of these revenues when users click on a paid placement.

Jeanette
Pavini

Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist, documentarian and author Jeanette Pavini covers consumer and investigative news for numerous publications, radio and television. Jeanette is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Follow her on Twitter @jeanettepavini.

MarketWatch Partner Center

Jeanette
Pavini

Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist, documentarian and author Jeanette Pavini covers consumer and investigative news for numerous publications, radio and television. Jeanette is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Follow her on Twitter @jeanettepavini.

Intraday Data provided by SIX Financial Information and subject to terms of use.
Historical and current end-of-day data provided by SIX Financial Information.
All quotes are in local exchange time. Real-time last sale data for U.S. stock quotes reflect trades reported through Nasdaq only.
Intraday data delayed at least 15 minutes or per exchange requirements.